Edmond de Rothschild gets new Chief Sustainability Officer

Asset manager Edmond de Rothschild has appointed Eric de Tessières as its new Chief Sustainability Officer after Nathalie Wallace’s departure.

De Tessières joins from BNP Paribas, where he was most recently Chief Operating Officer of the Sustainability Center and Head of Solidarity Investments. He spent nearly 20 years in a variety of roles at the French bank after starting his career as an auditor for EY. He is also a graduate of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL).

As CSO of Edmond de Rothschild (EDR), he reports to Deputy CEO Cynthia Tobiano and oversees the group’s sustainability initiatives across asset management and private banking – based between Paris and Geneva.

He will be responsible for driving and monitoring EDR’s sustainability strategy in its investment platforms and products, as well as representing the group’s sustainable development initiatives externally and internally.

Nathalie Wallace leaves EDR after 18 months as CSO

De Tessières replaces Nathalie Wallace, who was EDR’s first Chief Sustainability Officer, appointed in November 2023 and has now left the firm to pursue other projects outside the group, according to a spokesperson.

Wallace is an sustainable investment specialist who has held a number of ESG-focused roles at Mirova, Natixis Investment Management and State Street Global Advisers, among other organisations.

EDR strengthens commitment to net zero

Edmond de Rothschild supports climate investment and sustainability-linked funding. It is also one of the TotalEnergies shareholders that regularly pressure the group to tackle its emissions more decisively.

More recently, the firm launched a climate-focused emerging market bond fund to support the climate transition in emerging economies, and joined the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative and committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

Cynthia Tobiano, Deputy CEO of Edmond de Rothschild, said: "We are pleased to welcome Eric to Edmond de Rothschild. Sustainability is a long-standing commitment for our group. Eric will be able to navigate an increasingly restrictive regulatory environment and headwinds from the financial industry."